Part 3
Chapter 1

"I don't get it. Why would finding out who murdered Fred help with anything?" said Scully.
  "Traditionally homeless people turn up all over the place. Having no fixed abode leaves plenty of room for movement. They drift around towns, some settle to one particular spot until they get told to move on. They manage to turn up in the most unusual of places." said Mulder.
  "Fred was well known for being the most mobile of the local homeless population. He would explore everywhere, finding new and more comfortable places for his friends to stay, only to move on searching constantly. I did a little digging, it seems Fred was around the places the kids disappeared from on all three occasions"
  "So did the police question him? Wouldn't he be the most likely suspect?"
  "You'd think, but apparently not. At no point has he been contacted, possibly because of the difficulty involved in finding him."
  "So why'd he get shot?"
  "Apparently someone had decided to take the law into their own hands, or at least silence someone who may pose a threat."
  "Threat? A threat to what Mulder?"
  "Given that he travelled so much it's likely that Fred saw a lot, heard a lot. He would know an awful lot of secrets of people in this town. Have you noticed how people try to avoid looking at the homeless in the streets? They become invisible, living ghosts in our society. They can go pretty much anywhere, they'll rarely be noticed, noone would care about where they would be going to, Fred had been known to exploit this. Cheating husbands would be confronted by a grinning Fred asking for a generous donation to the 'silence' fund."
  "So you think an adulterer killed him?"
  "No Scully. That's insignificant. Noone would kill to protect that sort of thing, and anyway a guilty husband wouldn't be able to track down Fred to my hotel room. No the person who killed him must have been able to find out what Fred knew and who he'd got o tell me. Someone's following our investigation and they're willing to kill to protect their secrets."
  "What about the clue that Fred left behind? And if they were keen to put a stop to Fred telling us anything, why not just kill him instantly, why the lingering death?"
  "I suspect they didn't expect Fred to be so determined in getting a message to me and figured even if he did they'd be able to intercept it at the point where the police got involved, unfortunately for them, but luckily for us, I got there first."
  "And the method of the murder."
  "Well, who's to say this wouldn't happen again. What ever's behind this case it must have been going on for a long time, or at least will be going on after we've left. It's better to leave a warning of a long lingering death than a simple quick one. It would put the remaining homeless off exploring the town further for fear of discovering the same thing."
  "OK, but I still don't see how this purtains to the alien theory."
  "You saw the police station. It was covered with what we now know to be an anomalous protein molecule."
  "Yes."
  "Well the only place that stuff has turned up elsewhere is at the crime scenes, it's not something that you find in the forests round here or in the local cuisine."
  "So you're saying the local police are involved."
  "Almost certainly, it's the only possible solution. It's unlikely to be the whole force, maybe just an individual officer."
  "I see, you think that a corrupt officer is somehow involved in the abduction of the local children. Mr Stoifait uncovered his involvement and possibly tried to gain some financial security out of it. Using his resources the policeman tracked Fred to your hotel room where he shot him in the stomach as a warning to the locals not to go poking their noses in?"
  "Yup."
  "Exactly how do you come up with these things Mulder?"
  Mulder smiled, "Years of watching Columbo, Scully."
  "Are you saying that the clue left behind will somehow implicate the officer involved?"
  "That's my theory, I'm guessing it was a name written on that pad, unfortunately Fred's arthritis and the blood soaking into the paper made the name indecipherable, I'm hoping the lab will get back to us soon."
  "What are we going to do in the mean time then?"
  "We're going to go exploring."

Mulder and Scully walked side by side along the main street of the town. A young couple jogged past them knocking Scully slightly, calling apologies behind them as they ran on. The two agents were deep in conversation.
  "I still don't get it Mulder where are we going now?"
  "Like I've said before you'll see, but first I want to ask you some questions."
  "Ok." said Scully, slightly dubious as to where the conversation was leading.
  "Now, you're a scientist are you not Dr Scully?"
  "Yes I am."
  "Now part of being a scientist is basing theories on some sort of evidence or conjecture on the strong possibility of something being correct, this is how most theories are put forward is it not?"
  "I agree, for the most part that is how scientific method progresses."
  "Ok. Well given those facts why is it that so many scientists dismiss the possibility of extra terrestrial life out of hand?"
  "Well there's no evidence to suggest otherwise."
  "So you're saying that is most probable that in this universe filled with so many millions of star systems that only one has a population of life forms in it and only on one planet? What are the odds of that happening. It would be like finding life only under my fingernail on Earth. It's just not statistically viable that this would be the case."
  "OK, perhaps not then, but just because it's quite likely there's life out there it doesn't mean that it's visited us."
  "I'll admit that. The universe is probably teeming with life but that doesn't automatically mean that it's been here. Why would it, a smallish planet mainly covered in water, third out from the centre of a boring single star solar system. But once again you have to turn to statistical probabilities. Given the vast size of the universe we can assume that there is life out there. Now there is nothing to say that the life out there started to evolve at the same time as us. In fact given the quantity of life that must be out there, it is an almost certainty that there is life that was highly evolved millions of years before we were even twinkles in our protoplasm's surface. We have to remember the rest of the universe for the most part was up and about long before the Earth formed.
  "So we are lead to the point that there are higher evolved life forms out there wandering about. Now we can only guess at what forms these life forms may take on. It would be arrogant for us to even suggest that they would breathe oxygen. Oxygen is a dreadfully toxic gas which would kill us if it weren't for a simple bacterium in our lungs. So we have all these scientists sitting around saying 'well the planet will have to have this and that for it to sustain life'. This kind of thinking totally undermines all the wonder and splendour that you see in nature, creatures live in what we would consider to be a most hostile environments and yet they thrive. Just because we can't live there doesn't mean every other life form can't either.
  "Whatever life forms there are out there, there is also nothing to say they couldn't have visited us."
  "There's the huge gulfs between our solar system and even the nearest star to us. It would take us an extraordinary amount of time to cross it."
  "You're thinking like those scientists again, we can't do it so noone else can. We're always thinking along our own scale. It's far for us it must be far for everyone else. For an ant a journey across a garden must seem huge yet for us it's a few steps. For us a trip to Alpha Centauri seems ridiculous, for an alien race far bigger than is it could be like a trip to the store round the corner."
  "You're saying there are giant creatures walking amongst the stars?"
  "Heh heh. No. An intriguing thought though Dr Scully, perhaps we should write a paper on it."
  "Mulder" Scully said wearily.
  "Sorry couldn't resist. I doubt there are giant space walkers, but then again who knows? We've explored so little of our own small part if this universe we could be the ants of our little garden trying to avoid the footsteps of the giants above in the vain hope to learn what's beyond our own mound of earth. But still discounting the idea of aliens walking between stars for the moment, there's no reason they wouldn't possess a far superior form of transport compared to what we have now. Given in the last hundred years alone we've progressed so very far ourselves, who would have though at the turn of the century that we'd be travelling into space so regularly? And yet we were foraying into the final frontier so soon after. Technology is progressing at an accelerated rate. The more sophisticate the technology the faster the next generation can be developed, it's an exponential growth cycle which shows no sign of slowing. One need only look at the growth of the computer industry to realise this fact.
  "By the middle of the next century we may have ventured beyond our solar system, we may not. Noone on this planet knows, or if they do they're not telling me. But the point is, this period of technological must have been replicated in other species that have developed in the universe, or something similar. There would come a point where the society of this race would grow and continue to grow to a point where expansion into space would be logical. Evolving further and assuming a natural curiosity they would explore, preferably, but not limited to, in a peaceful manner. These creatures in the course of their evolution could develop ideas and concepts not even though of by any human, methods of faster than light travel, physics equations incorporating factors we never imagined, chemistry lessons where you won't feel compelled to doodle, things of science fiction.
  "So we have life that has evolved for longer than us and has better technology than us, they could quite easily disguise themselves from our paltry means and certainly visit us. Why they would want to beyond curiosity is anyone's guess, but it is my belief that they are here and have been for some time. Humanity, like in so many bad films, has proved a fascinating opportunity for study to them and they aren't going to waste it."
  "OK, Mulder I'll agree with you on some points. The universe is big enough that it may support other forms of life who have evolved perhaps further than us. They may have better technology than us but just because it's possible doesn't mean that it has happened. Book makers rely on the possible not happening for their living. Scientists shouldn't assume that there isn't life or that it will be like us, but also we shouldn't assume that it does exist and is here. Which is why we need..."
  "Proof. I know. That's what my devotion to the E-files has been about. It's all very well me going on about how likely it is that life is out there but another thing entirely to show it to everyone, allow the public to open their eyes to the possibilities inherent in the universe, and.."
  There was a short period of silence and for the first time Scully saw Mulder looking so forlorn that he seemed lost from his normal exuberant personality.
  "Mulder listen, I know there's something very personal tied to this case, to these files. Something that is affecting your judgement. If you'd like I could take over here, you don't have to carryon further."
  "No Scully I have to finish this. I appreciate your offer but I have to solve this case, I need to do this personally."
  "Ok, but if you start acting erratically we're going to stop."
  "How will you notice." Mulder smiled his usual boyish grin, relaxing some of the concern Scully had started to feel for her new partner.
  "So where now?"
  "Right here." Mulder looked up.
  Scully joined his gaze and stared at the outside of the police station.

A shaft of sunlight pierced the window through a small smeared region where the dirt was not so dense. The air inside was stifling motes of dust flashed as they spiralled through the lancing light.
  Sudden knocking at the door disturbed the peaceful calm in the station.
  "Mr Turner? Mr Turner we'd like to ask you some questions."
  The door swung inwards and Mulder and Scully stepped through.
  "Look Mulder, the carpets are clean. There's none of that dust left."
  Mulder said nothing and moved further into the building.
  Room by room the two agents stepped searching, looking for any clue as to what had happened in the station. In every room the dust had vanished.
  "Guess they finally got a maid in" said Mulder.
  Scully smiled gently.
  The sound of a chair falling over echoed in through the empty building.
  The agents spun round towards the door and drew their weapons. Mulder reached the hallway first and headed towards the location of the sound.
  A dark figure stood in the back room his hand on the back of the overturned chair.
  "F.B.I. agent don't move."
  The figure made a break for the rear exit.
  "I'm armed, stay where you are."
  The figure continued paying Mulder no heed.
  "Damnit."
  Mulder raced out the back following the figure with Scully behind him.
  The exit led to a back alley with the figure running 100 meters or so ahead, Mulder started off in long steady strides and soon he was far from Scully who could not run as fast. The figure turned a corner. Mulder rounded this without breaking his stride.
  "Halt or I'll shoot." shouted Mulder knowing he couldn't fire while running but hoped that the man he was chasing didn't know that.
  Still he ran on.
  For a further five minutes the man kept a head of Mulder staying just too far ahead of him, twisting a turning in his route. Mulder thought he'd lost him once or twice, only to hear the footsteps above the sound of his heart beating in his ears and once again sight the target.
  Eventually the man entered a factory looking building. Mulder slowed and followed him in.
  The interior was dark with just a few windows still providing light. The floor was greasy and all around were pieces of disused machinery. Mulder heard footsteps from a metal walkway overhead. He took the steps nearby and followed.
  "F.B.I.! Stop where you are and put your hands in the air." Oh please stop where you are thought the exhausted Mulder.
  Mulder turned a corner and saw the figure at the end. He was standing there seemingly doing nothing.
  "You are under arrest!" I'm not sure what for, making me run so much sounds like a good charge thought Mulder.
  The figure turned to face the bedraggled Mulder.
  A high pitched whining noise started and a wind sprang up. From  behind the man a bright white light grew in intensity. Mulder saw a smile flash across the man's face.
  The light grew further and engulfed the man, Mulder turned his head to stop himself from being blinded.
  The light subsided as did the wind and Mulder realised the man had gone.
  "Excuse me mister. where are we?"
  Mulder turned and saw three young children looking up at him from the end of the corridor.

Mulder sat with his head down in the station. Scully walked up to him with a piece of paper in her hand.
  "The lab has come back with a finding on the message wrote to you by Mr Stoifait."
  "And?"
  "It said Turner."
  Mulder was silent.
  "He hasn't been seen since last night, it was probably him we chased out of that station, he was probably trying to cover up the evidence of his involvement. Police are out looking for him.
  "They won't find him."
  "In the meantime, the returned children are giving evidence would you like to hear them?"
  Mulder sighed and wandered over to the interview room where a small girl was talking in an excited tone.
  "We seemed to be flying and then this man came over except he wasn't a man he had a big head and these big eyes, they stared at me, but they told me not to be afraid. There was a big light. Then the man put a mask on and walked away from me, then I remember being in the factory place."
  Mulder shook his head and walked away.
  "Mulder I know you're disappointed but it seems to me that this case in nothing more than a case of child abduction by Marty Turner."
  "Well the dust should provide evidence that something was odd about this case."
  "Ah."
  "That's not a good noise agent Scully."
  "After you pursued Marty I checked my pocket, the dust was gone."
  "So we have no evidence? No hint to anything beyond a simple abuse of power?"
  "I'm afraid not Mulder."
  The interview room door opened and Suzanne walked out clutching at a teddy bear followed by a social worker.
  The agents watched as she was led out of the station. Suzanne stopped suddenly looking up at the wall. Mulder craned to see what she was looking at.
  "That's the man! There! He was the mask man, he bossed the grey men about."
  Mulder looked up towards the point on the wall that she had looked at. On there was a picture of the two local law enforcers smiling to the camera, Marty Turner grinning ear to ear.

"So they have no evidence?"
  "Our agents were successful in the retrieval of any damning artefacts."
  "And our operative?"
  "He escaped easily sir. The agents do not seem to be working at their best together."
  "So the plan is going ahead on schedule?"
  "Yes, only a few minor alterations should be required."
  "Good."